The Brutality of Peter Magyar

This opinion piece by Die Welt editor-in-chief Jacques Schuster criticizes Hungary's new Prime Minister Peter Magyar for using authoritarian methods to pursue his goal of restoring liberal democracy. Despite widespread relief in Europe after Magyar's election victory over Viktor Orbán, Schuster argues that Magyar is acting with unexpected brutality—forcing out the state president without cause and attacking the Constitutional Court. The author invokes Karl Popper's philosophy to warn that a majority, even a two-thirds majority, must respect democratic norms and minority rights. The EU's silence on these actions is noted, as is German approval of Magyar's behavior. The piece questions whether the ends justify the means in democratic transitions.